


Twenty Years Ago Today

by A_Damned_Scientist



Category: Farscape
Genre: Challenge Response, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 16:18:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17429297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Damned_Scientist/pseuds/A_Damned_Scientist
Summary: Aeryn has a twentieth anniversary surprise for John. And John has one for Aeryn.





	Twenty Years Ago Today

**Author's Note:**

> My own entry for my own SC110: Twentieth Anniversary. Twenty years this year since John first got lost in a distant part of the Universe and had his ass kicked around that cell on Moya.
> 
> The setting is... well, guess. Nothing much I think to warn of, no beta, no smut, no violence, no cooking by Noranti. Lots of shippiness. And there may be a little gratuitous description of Aeryn eating (for Strangewebby). And it’s not mine and no money was made. 
> 
> I thought Id posted this here at Christmas. Ah well, I frelled up. Merry Belated Frelling Christmas.

**Twenty Years Ago Today**

  
John was in his happy place. Well, one of them, anyway. One of the ones involving engineering stuff rather than spending time with Aeryn or his offspring. Happily whistling ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, an old Beatles tune, he finished work on his little construction project, tidied away his tools, made a few final cosmetic arrangements and then walked off the terrace.

He wasn’t unhappy to have finished his chore – in fact, he was quite looking forwards to spending some time later in his ‘Aeryn Happy Place’. He continued to whistle to himself as he sauntered along Moya’s golden corridors, heading for their quarters. Turning the last bend, his gait lifted as the main door to their quarters came into sight. Just a few more steps and he would be ‘home’ for the evening, chores accomplished for the day, with nothing left to do but make a fuss of Aeryn, his wife of fifteen cycles.

He swiped the main door open and stepped into the deserted outer chamber of their quarters. “AERRRYYYYNNNN!!” he called out. Silence persisted. He frowned. Surely she couldn’t have forgotten that today was the nominal twentieth anniversary of him coming through the wormhole and first ruining Aeryn’s life?

Of, course, he’d tried not to make a big fuss, but ever since, about 100 days previously, he had asked Pilot how many solar days it had been and been given the answer ‘7215 out of 7300’ he had started to drop hints and make plans.

Maybe she was still busy with chores somewhere? He sighed, thought of comming her, but decided to leave it another half arn and go and get himself cleaned up and changed. Surely she couldn’t have forgotten? Not their ‘anniversary’? Even a no-nonsense ex-PK, Captain-Of-Moya type like her?

He swiped open the inner door and stepped through into their bedroom. 1812 sat on what amounted to Aeryn’s dressing table. There was no sign of Aeryn herself.

“Hey little fella, you seen Aeryn?” he greeted the ancient DRD. 1812’s eye stalks flickered into life, he bleeped, and then a most curious thing happened. A blue triangle of light shone forth from one of the stalks, ending after about a motra, where it projected what appeared to be a hologram of Aeryn. Her arms stretched out towards the DRD and she leant down slightly. She was dressed most curiously, for her, in a long, white gown and with her deep-space-black hair arranged in some sort of twin buns. She reminded John of…

“Help me, John Crichton, you’re my only hope,” the hologram seemed to be giggling as it straightened up and continued to speak. “I appear to have been locked in a cell. I am in need of rescuing!” she seemed to be openly struggling to keep a straight face now. John, for his part, certainly was. The thought of Aeryn as a helpless princess who needed him to rescue her was… well, not something he had entertained since Chi had dragged him into that stupid game blob. “By a brave Jedi Knight.”

John shook his head and laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. Well, those twenty years had certainly seen her develop a bizarre sense of humour that could surpass even his own.

“That is if he... you can find me?” Aeryn added, clearly struggling to keep any sort of straight face.

Oh, John had a pretty good idea of which cell he would find her in alright.

“Your clothes are on the bed,” Aeryn continued. John glanced across to see a cream, fabric outfit, a sort of synthesis of his original IASA uniform and something that Luke Skywalker might have worn. “D’Argo and Joolie are happy in the family room with lots of unhealthy snacks and their favourite videos. You have one arn, or I shall grow desperate and have to make my own escape!”

John grinned, already peeling off his top. So she hadn’t forgotten after all. An arn? He could make it in 20 macrots…

@@@

Aeryn fidgeted impatiently, then stood, then paced to and fro about the cell, ‘their cell’. The cell where they had first met. It was rarely used these days, as all the inhabitants of Moya lived on a different level. She skirted around the only furniture: a table adequately provisioned with a buffet of some of their favourite food and drink, complete with a pair of chairs facing each other across the table.

It was good that nobody came here these days – it meant they were assured of privacy.

She spun on her heel at the sound of the cell door swooshing open, her eyes drinking in the sight of John. He was grinning like a schoolboy, despite his advancing years. He was staring at her like she was the most desirable thing he had ever laid eyes upon. Her heart caught in her throat. She was unable to help herself from staring back with what she suspected was a similar expression.

“Hi, my name’s John,” he announced, stepping towards her with a spring in his step and an outstretched hand of greeting. She took the offered hand in hers then, much to his evident momentary consternation, tugged him sharply towards her, as though she was going to slam him face first into the cell wall.

Just like old times.

But instead she pulled him toe to toe with her. He collided with her gently but not unpleasantly or unmanageably. She had judged the tug on his arm just right. Her mouth and eyes lit up in a smile and she rubbed her nose and forehead against his.

“Have you come to… rescue me?” she growled. She knew she didn’t sound like she needed rescuing, but she was trying her best.

“Do you NEED rescuing?” he chuckled, as though reading her mind. He pouted his lips to bestow brief kisses on her deliberately, teasingly evasive mouth.

“I might do. After we’ve eaten. It depends…” she shrugged a shoulder, now allowing her lips to return his fleeting kisses. Not that she had much choice, as by now his large hands were framing her face, holding her steady and counteracting her evasiveness.

“On what?” He smirked.

“Whether you are John Crichton or Luke Skywalker. I hear that that barbarian John Crichton is not to be trusted around females.”

“Well, you do know that Luke Skywalker is the Princess’ brother?” He winked at her. She bit her lip then arched an eyebrow. “So, I guess I’d better be John Crichton?”

“I guess you’d better be, otherwise the date is off,” she smirked back, running her hands across his upper arms and shoulders, reminding herself of how nice they felt.

“Date? I thought this was a rescue?”

“It’s both. Meal first, rescue later,” she informed him. He planted a huge, devouring kiss on her lips, quite taking her breath away.

“For luck!” he winked at her as they came up for air. “Now, what’s for dinner?” he concluded, risking a slap up the side of the head.

“Well, if you can stop pawing me for a microt and sit down, I’ll show you,” she teased. John complied, while she seated herself opposite.

John’s eyes and hands inventoried his place setting, the bottle of prowsa wine and the covered serving dishes. Aeryn lifted the cover of one dish and placed it on the floor, out of sight. She locked eyes on him and raised a forkful of the spicy, steaming, dark red food within to her pouting lips. John groaned in frustrated pleasure as, lips still pouting, but now closed and her jaw slowly chewing, she puckered her whole face, narrowed her eyes and growled out her pleasure and approval.

“Nice?” John chuckled. She nodded and swallowed

“Exquisite.” she confirmed. She dipped her fork back into the dish and leant across the table towards him, her mouth opening in a sensual O, to offer some food up to John. Unable to resist her and wisely suppressing the urge to even teasingly chide her for double dipping, he closed his mouth around the morsel.

The taste and texture really were quite extraordinary, like the very best of Chinese cuisine back on Erp.

“Oh my! That was really something quite special!” John agreed, having finally finished his mouthful. This promised to be a very interesting meal indeed.

@@@

“That was... delicious!” John declared about an arn later, watching attentively as Aeryn lifted her last fork full of the Uncharted Territories best approximation of apple pie to her full lips. He paused, enjoying simply watching as those lips closed, and the fork pulled back out, prongs now stripped bare by teeth, tongue and lips. Aeryn’s jaw set to work, although the pie was hardly a major chewing challenge, while her facial expression subconsciously betrayed the sensory pleasure she was experiencing from the delicious dessert. “Have you been taking cooking lessons?” John teased her as he saw her swallow.

“You cheeky fekkik!” Aeryn snorted back, although she wasn’t really upset. She’d never really mastered the art of cooking, and doubted she ever would. But it had been a superb meal.

“Actually... thanks are due to Sikozu,” Aeryn sipped at her prowsa wine and licked her lips, eyes sprakling as she leant in to flirt with John. He didn’t disappoint: one of his hands snagged her free hand, cupping it against the table top, while their feet nuzzled beneath the table.

“Sikozu?” John frowned. “But I didn’t think she cooked?”

“She doesn’t,” Aeryn grinned. “But she distracted Noranti all afternoon so Chiana could.”

John laughed at that, the deep mellow sound mixing with her mood and the alcohol, making her feel even more content.

“Excellent.” John squeezed her hand.

“So, Commander Crouton, what shall we do now?” she growled, grinning at him and lifting and lowering her gaze from face to table in excited anticipation.

“Welllll....” John drawled. “You aren’t the only one who has made preparations this afternoon.” He slipped his hand into his pocket, clearly retrieving something.

What could it be?

Aeryn could not help but frown in confusion when he pulled out a sash of some thick, soft, black material and laid it on the table.

He stood.

“What’s going on, John?” she asked as he eased round behind her, fingers skimming up her arm, hands resting on her shoulders.

“It’s a blindfold,” John explained, leaning across her and lifting the blindfold, skimming up her arm again, this time with the velvety fabric. “So, my surprise is... a surprise. May I?”

She shrugged and nodded. Normally she wouldn’t dream of allowing such a thing, but this was a special evening, and she was sure John would make it worth her while making an exception.

John tenderly blindfolded her, taking great care not to make it too loose or too tight.

“Comfortable?” he purred. She shrugged. “Stand up and take my arm. We’ve not far to walk.”

Aeryn did as instructed, trying to work out where he was taking her as he led her carefully through Moya’s corridors.

“I thought you said it was close?” she huffed.

“Not much further,” John reassured her. She heard a large door swinging open. It sounded heavy, like one of the bulkhead doors.

Where was he taking her?

“OK, we’re there, hold steady!” he instructed, stepping behind her. She could feel his hands on her shoulders once again. And then they were loosening the blindfold. “Happy Anniversary.” John whispered as the blindfold fell away.

She blinked at the beautiful sight before her: they were on the terrace. A swirling nebula filled most of her vision. Above a single star shone brighter than any she could recall, set against a twinkling backdrop of lesser stars. Below, on the floor of the terrace, a large, double couch-like bed was positioned to make the most of the view, adorned with sable furs sheets and blankets of the deepest red. Beside the bed, a low table was appointed with drinks, glasses and sweet snacks.

“Welcome to our room for the night,” John explained, wrapping his arms around her, laying his chin on her shoulder and nuzzling her ear. She cupped her hands over his and sighed as he kissed her neck. “Pilot’s laid on all the conveniences, Pip and Sputnik will deal with the kids and anything else that might come up. So, can I interest you in some ‘chocolate’ and a nice warm bed?”

“Maybe,” she conceded, leaning back into him. She could feel his hands locating the fastening to her long, white dress. She didn’t object or even remark on his presumption as he started to ease it undone.

“You know... All things considered,” he growled as she felt him get the fastening fully undone, face burrowing deep into her hair, lips seeking out the side of her neck. “There are worse ways to end a day.”

"Or twenty cycles," Aeryn added with a radiant smile.

 

The end.


End file.
